The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 22, 1999 - 11
Contrast in
styles for 'M'
post players
By Pranay Reddy
Daily Sports Editor
All right, enough of the Louis Bullock-Robbie Reid
show for Michigan basketball. Sure, the two guards
acccount for 50 percent of Michigan's offense.
On the other side of the coin is the newfound one-two
punch of Josh Asselin and Pete Vignier. The fronteourt
duo has come around as of late for the Wolverines, and
there's no telling how far they can go by the end of
Michigan's season. Tomorrow in Mackey Arena against
Purdue, fans just might find out.
0 While the two make their living in the paint, they go
about it in very different ways. From rebounding and
defense to shooting and setting screens, Asselin and
Vignier use their specific talents to reach a successful
end to their means. Let's break them each down, start-
ing on the defensive end of the court.
REBOUNDING: You've been under a rock if you've
seen the past four games but haven't noticed Asselin's
presence on the boards. The 6-foot-11 sophomore
grabbed a career-high 10 boards against Ohio State last
week, and hasn't looked back since.
0But what is more interesting is the way Asselin goes
about cleaning the glass. Whereas most players of
Asselin's stature tend to use their huge frames to gain
position, Asselin uses his surprising quickness and
absurdly long arms to gain an advantage over an oppo-
nent. He poses a difficult matchup for an old-school,
pitch-your-tent-in-the-paint center.
Which brings us to Vignier. Not equipped with the
fleetest of feet, the 6-foot- 11 center is cut from a more
traditional cloth of big men. Vignier's width is as much
of a factor as his height - with his rump-shaker pro-
iding his competitive advantage. Vignier puts up 260
wounds to Asselin's 230, and he uses those 30 pounds
very effectively. Thus far, he leads the Wolverines with
7.7 rebounds per game.
° DEFENSE: The difference in style of play doesn't stop
with rebounding. Again, Vignier's size plays a huge role
- allowing him to body up any big man the Wolverines
are likely to face.
And when Michigan is playing a zone, it's Asselin's
quickness that makes him most effective. Sweeping
around the weakside to help on 'D,' Asselin has swatted
out one shot per game this season.
Women's hoops try
to build on upset
By Josh Botidn
Daily Sports Writer
Wednesday night's victory against
Michigan State was a "monster win."
But for the Michigan women's basket-
ball team, this weekend will determine
whether the Wolverines' triumph over
the Spartans was a fluke or a turn-
around.
The Wolverines put a halt to their
horrific six-game losing streak with an
emotional overtime victory on
Wednesday. But the question now is,
can their emotion propel them to victo-
ry this upcoming weekend? "
Although they face mediocre teams
in Iowa and Northwestern on the road,
Michigan (2-4 Big Ten, 10-6 overall)
must show that they are not the 11 th
team in the Big Ten.
"You can say they are a last-place
team," Michigan State coach Karen
Langeland said after losing on
Wednesday. "But you have to look at the
losses that they have had consecutively
and I do not think that they are a last
place team, nor do I think that they will
end up there when the season ends."
Michigan's first test will come from
the Hawkeyes. Like Michigan, Iowa has
struggled recently. The Hawkeyes (3-4,
8-9) are riding a three-game losing
streak.
The Hawkeyes are also struggling
with inexperience. Iowa presents a ros-
ter consisting of eight freshmen, who,
for the most part, have done their job.
Even though the Big Ten season is
still young, Iowa knows that beating
Michigan will provide a big boost of
confidence for their freshmen.
"This week against Michigan is a
must-win," Iowa coach Angie Lee
said. "We're fighting for a bye. It's a
goal of ours'"
Michigan shares that goal and
knocking off Iowa on the road would
add fuel to the argument that the victory
over Michigan State was not a fluke, but
rather a turnaround.
"I know that our win against State
was an emotional lift," Michigan coach
Sue Guevara said. "Can I say that it was
a turnaround? I am not really sure yet."
Michigan's biggest concern will be
trying to contain lowa's 6-foot-4 center
Amy Herrig. In Iowa's last game, Herrig
scored 27 points and pulled down 15
rebounds.
For Michigan to be successful, fresh-
man Ruth Kipping and sophomore
Alison Miller will have to play aggres-
sive defense in order to shut down a tal-
ented and imposing Herrig.
Before returning to Ann Arbor, the
Wolverines stop in Evanston to face a
team in a similar situation.
Northwestern - just like Iowa and
Michigan - is mired at the bottom of
the conference (2-4, 8-8). And like
Michigan, Northwestern recently
snapped a four-game losing streak -
with a victory over No. 17 Ohio State,
48-41.
The Wildcats, playing ferocious
defense, limited Ohio State to a season-
low 18 field goals. They held Ohio State
to a season-low .290 field-goal percent-
age (18-of-62).
While the Wildcats don't feature any
dominant individual player, they play an
aggressive team game, which could
muffle Michigan's offensive flow.
Michigan must be fluid in the pass-
ing game, and make wise decisions in
their shot selection. Look for the
turnovers to be a deciding factor in this
game.
DAVID ROCHKIND" "y
Michigan center Peter Vignier will attempt to use his size in the post tomorrow against No. 24 Purdue.
Michigan's big man-quick man combo was especial-
ly effective Wednesday night against Minnesota. The,
duo bottled up 7-foot freshman phenom Joel Pryzbilla,
holding him to eight points.
SCORING: The biggest discrepancy between. Asselin
and Vignier is on offense. Asselin is definitely a more
gifted scorer, by way of his athleticism. During his
recent hot streak, the power forward averaged 18.3
points over three games.
Not necessarily the best 'basketball player,' Asselin is
nothing short of a tremendous athlete. Boasting the
highest vertical leap on the team, Asselin scores the
bulk of his points in transition as well as off of loose
balls.
On the other hand, Vignier's biggest strength tends to
be one of Asselin's shortcomings. Vignier employs a bit
of touch in his offensive game, displaying the occasion-
+ State r
al ability to knock down an open 10-footer, or dropping
a hook. Still, Vignier seems reluctant to shoot during
games - but then its no secret that he's in the game for
his defense and rebounding.
PASSING: On both counts, passing is the biggest
weakness for Asselin and Vignier. On double teams,
both have displayed some difficulty in their ability to hit
either Bullock or Reid on the outside. To their credit,
their passing has improved, evidenced by their decrease
in turnovers during the past few games.
While both have had solid seasons for Michigan, it's
obvious that the two still have much work ahead of
them. But given their recent success, it appears they
could be headed on the right track. And with contri-
butions by Bullock and Reid always accounted for, it
might be Michigan's other duo that keeps opposing
coaches up at night.
o s over Iowa
Recruit commits to Blue
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Omaha
Central High School cornerback
Brandon Williams has announced his
intention to play for Michigan next
year.
Williams had said he would com-
mit to either Nebraska or Michigan.
However, until Williams signs a
national letter of intent, his commit-
ment is not binding. Williams' coach
Joe McMenamin said the 175-pound
player is at least as fast as former
Omaha Central player Calvin Jones,
who played running back for Nebraska.
EAST LANSING (AP) - Michigan
State took over sole possession of first
place in the Big Ten as reserve Morris
Peterson scored 19 points and the I1th-
ranked Spartans rolled to an 80-65 vic-
tory over No. 14 Iowa last night.
Dean Oliver and Guy Rucker each
scored 12 points for the Hawkeyes (4-2
Big Ten, 13-3 overall), who lost for the
second time after an 11-game winning
streak.
It was the fourth straight win for the
Spartans (4-1, 15-4), yet it looked like
Iowa might run them right out of Breslin
Center early. Jess Settles scored six
straight points as the Hawkeyes took a
19-4 lead over the opening 7:33.
"Michigan State was so out of sync the
Spartans didn't take their first shot until
2:32 had been played. It was 3:19 before
they made one.
But once the Spartans pulled them-
selves together, they controlled the
game.
A layup by Peterson with 11:29 left in
the first half launched a 24-6 run that
enabled the Spartans to come back for a
28-25 halftime lead. Peterson and
Mateen Cleaves each had 3-pointers and
Charlie Bell chipped in with six points
during that spurt.
The run continued as Iowa scored just
two points over the first 6:24 of the sec-
ond half while the Spartans rolled to a
47-27 lead. The Hawkeyes never recov-
ered.
Still, they made it interesting as Oliver
hit two 3-pointers down the stretch, help-
ing the Hawkeyes narrow the gap to 10
points twice, the last time at 74-64 with
1:43 remaining.
Michigan State, which forced 21
turnovers, didn't score a basket over the
final 3:08, but made eight free throws.
Michigan State;
guard Mateen
Cleeves and the
11th ranked
Spartans gave
No. 14 Iowa the
kiss of death mna -
highly-anticipated
battle of Big Ten
leaders.
AP PHOTO
Blue beckons Broncos
By Raphael Goodstein
ly Sports Writer
The Michigan women's tennis
team was excited about doming
home from Hawai'i this past week.
Sound strange? The prospect of
opening the dual meet portion of
season against Western Michigan
will do that.
Western Michigan's Lisa Nicoll
and Mindy Champion will have to
come up big for the Broncos to win.
9coll won the Fall Mid-American
Conference Indoor Championships,
beating Champion - her teammate
- in the finals. Kendra Becker and
Ninki Thompson will also have to
contribute for the Broncos if they
hope to pull off the upset.
Western Michigan coach Betsy
Kuhle is trying to lead the Broncos
to their fifth MAC title under her
guidnee. Their last title was in 1997.
Michigan singles players Alison
clair and transfer Szandra Fuzesi
a ong with the doubles team of
Danielle Lund and Brooke Hart led
the Wolverines in their final presea-
son tournament - the North Shore
Women's Tennis Classic in Laie,
Hawaii.
Sinclair finished 2-1 in Hawai'i,
beating Brigham Young-Hawai'i 7-6,
7-6 and Brigham Young, 6-2, 6-1.
Fuzesi beat the Cougars 6-3, 6-0.
The Hart and Lund team were the
only doubles team to win a match
beating the Cougars, 8-5.
The Wolverines play the Broncos
Sunday at the Varsity Tennis Center.
-9
Co-operative
Housin r
of by and for stu ents
Friendly People
Sharing of Meals
Economical Living
Inter-Cooperative Council
337 East William 662-4414
Telluride Association
Scholarships
join other dedicated students to
*plan and implement public service projects
*explore ideas in academic seminars
*form a fun and challenging community
Accepted students receive a $2,000 scholarship in 1999-2000
a dca room and board scholarship during 2000-2001
Informational Meeting
January 24
Hussey Room, Michigan League
4pm
Refreshments will be served
Current University of Michigan
freshmen and so homores may apply.
For more information, contact
Thomas Hawks, Michigan Project Director
734-668-6039
tellride@umich.edu
Telluride Association is a non-profit association which has offered challenin
educational programs for high school and college students since 1911. Telurte
Association does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed religion,
national, or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, or disabilit.
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1999 SUMMER CAMPS OF CHAMPIONS
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